Gunmen Gatecrash Wake in Mexico, 17 Dead; Suspects Flee in White Van

A video circulating online shows an alleged group of armed people who arrived at a wake and opened fire, leaving at least 17 people dead in Mexico's Michoacan state Sunday.

"It's not Ukraine, It's San Jose de Gracia, Michoacan," tweeted the first person to post the video.

A bystander in a neighboring house caught the horrific moment on video, which captured how the armed individuals who arrived in various white vehicles were waiting for the moment to open fire on a group of people formed on a wall.

At 00:32-mark, a series of shots from large-caliber weapons were heard in the community of San José de Gracia, located between the borders of Michoacán and Jalisco.

According to NY Daily News, the shooting occurred just a few meters from a wake, though it is unknown whose funeral services were being held.

It is expected that the exact number of victims will be announced soon as authorities are already conducting various investigations in the area, MVS Noticias added.

Meanwhile, agents from the National Guard, the Michoacán Police, and the Mexican Army have already launched a search operation for the alleged assassins, although there have been no positive results so far.

Several drug cartels operate in the Municipality of Marcos Castellanos and are fighting for control of the region. The La Nueva Familia Michoacana, Los Caballeros Templarios, and Jalisco Nueva Generación (CJNG) cartels are all in a turf war.

"This Sunday, an armed attack on civilians in the town of San José de Gracia, state and federal security forces carried out patrols on highways, gaps and surrounding towns," the state agency said in a statement obtained by news outlet 24 Horas, "with the aim of avoiding more acts of violence."

Authorities urged citizens to report any criminal event and provide information about the San José de Gracia incident that could lead to the capture of the alleged perpetrators.

Nine Killed, One Injured in Armed Attack on a Wake in Central Mexico

Last Month, attackers opened fire at a wake in Celaya's Arboledas de San Rafael, the central Mexican state of Guanajuato, killing nine people and wounding one, officials have said, per Al Jazeera.

Officials from Celaya Public Safety Department said in a statement that the attackers arrived late Thursday night. The wake was held for a man who had been murdered a day earlier, according to local news.

Photos from the scene showed bodies strewn in the street.

Guanajuato is in the midst of a bloody turf war between opposing organized crime groups.

There was no immediate report of who was responsible for the killings. Since the local Santa Rosa de Lima gang clashed with the Jalisco New Generation cartel in 2017, thousands have been killed in Guanajuato.

This article is owned by Latin Post.

Written by: Jess Smith

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